Android Mobile Guide

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Everything you need to know about Google's burgeoning mobile format.

By Scott Lowe

With the tech wire abuzz today with news of Android patents, SDK betas, and general hype, many people may be asking themselves: what is Android? Why do I care? And, how could it affect me? Well, if today's level of chatter is any indication, the Android mobile format may very well be one of the hotter topics of the coming months. In light of the recent developments regarding this burgeoning mobile tech, we've prepared our guide to Android mobile.

What is Android?

Aside from being one of the more cliché named techs in recent history, Android is a Linux based operating system for wireless communication devices currently being developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance (O.H.A.). The Android operating system is essentially an alternative to current Microsoft and Apple-based wireless solutions, such as the iPhone and Blackberry. The Android platform, in theory, will operate similarly to current mobile operating systems with a few software development related variations.

How did Android come to be?

Like most techs, Android is the product of market competition. A preemptive attempt at conquering the mobile market before Microsoft could with Windows Mobile, Google purchased Android Inc., a Palo Alto-based startup. When the company was absorbed by Google, Android Inc. began developing the Android operating system, which Google then began to market to carriers and hardware manufacturers.

Soon thereafter, reports about Android began to surface on various tech outlets as several mobile-oriented patents were filed by Google. The earliest mobile patents were filed in 2004, however, it wasn't until 2007, when the O.H.A. was formed, that Google officially announced the development of the Android operating system. The O.H.A. was established and Android was simultaneously announced by Google in November, 2007. The O.H.A., which includes HTC, T-Mobile, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Intel, and LG, is a consortium of carriers, developers, and manufacturers committed to developing and implementing Google's new operating system.

In the months to follow, Google and the remainder of the O.H.A. has made periodic strides toward advancing the platform toward official release by offering software developer kits, prototype phones running the system, and further press insight into the OS.

What are the benefits of Android?

Both users and developers stand to gain from Android's flexible, open source operating system. Android will grant third party developers (i.e. firms similar to those who create downloadable programs for the iPhone) unparalleled access to the system's core operating functions. In other words, developers will be able to build upon or augment the system's core web, phone, and organization functions the same as first-party developers. The software, Google's main Android page claims, does not "differentiate between the phone's basic and third-party applications," going as far to say "even the dialer or home screen can be replaced."

Beyond the potential for customization that is granted by Android's open-source freedoms, consumers will have a broader range of smart phone hardware to choose from than current OS solutions. In other words, instead of having only one leading model from each camp (Windows' Blackberry, and Apple's iPhone), Android users will be able to select from a variety of models under one singular next-gen OS.

Android sounds great, what's the catch?

Well, like any other service or tech currently in the process of being developed, theoretical or controlled performance and mainstream implementation are vastly different beasts. In light of Android's proposed open-door policy for third-party developers, the issue of quality control looms as a serious issue for the operating system.

From the reversed perspective, the view of developers, there have already been claims made about the difficulties associated with Android's Linux-based OS. Many developers have claimed that Android's application programming interface is incredibly lax on documentation. As a result, third party programmers must, for lack of a better word, guess on how to solve some commonly occurring issues during the development process. Furthermore, Google currently has no publicly available system for tracking known issues within the OS.

When can I get an Android phone?

As it stands, Android-enabled phones are scheduled to hit domestic markets in Q4 of this year, but depending on your carrier you may have to wait longer. The first Android-enabled mobile device for mainstream consumption will be made available on T-Mobile's network this Fall. Dubbed the HTC Dream, T-Mobile's Android offering is reported to include a large haptic screen, full QWERTY keypad, and dedicated internet nav controls located below its haptic display. Further pricing and availability for the HTC Dream have yet to be announced.